Best of 2011: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Heart in Your Heartbreak"

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart further 90's influenced indie rock's surge with their new record. Traces of Smashing Pumpkins and My Bloody Valentine can be heard throughout, but the best song here sounds like an homage to early Belle and Sebastian. "Heart in Your Heartbreak" is too damn catchy to leave off a best tracks of 2011 list.

Best of 2011: Kurt Vile - "Runner Ups"

My best friend's long gone but I got runner-ups.
Yeah.

Best of 2011: Destroyer - "Blue Eyes"

Who doesn't love the smooth sounds of Kenny G? I know I don't. But somehow Destroyer implements those completely unhip smooth jazz sounds of the 80's into one of the best records of the year. "Kaputt" has the great video but the strongest track is "Blue Eyes," with its bluesy female back-up singer and it's jazzy sax, shit don't get much sexier than this.

"I thumb through the books on your shelves."

Best of 2011: Fucked Up - "The Other Shoe"

Fucked Up is making some of the most melodic, forward-thinking punk rock I've ever heard. On "The Other Shoe", by fusing the angelic voice of Sandy Miranda with the guttural scream of Damian Abraham they somehow harmoniously unite the opposing worlds of pop and hardcore. The instrumentation steps beyond the distorted, three-power-chord progression it begins with, adding arpeggio guitar licks and volume effects, while the rhythm section continues to build the song to its mid-song climax. A top 5 track of the year for me; it's great to hear good hard rock still being created.

Best of 2011: Cities Aviv - "Coastin'"

Echoes of all your favorite 90's hip-hop in Cities Aviv, but this isn't derivative by any stretch. A sample of Shirley Bassey's "Easy to Be Hard" sets you up and a 4/4 beat pulls you in. Remember when rappers rapped about things? Cities does. "Don't call it a comeback, just call it a grand entrance."

Best of 2011: Beach Fossils - "Face It"

Absolutely gorgeous bass and clean-tone guitar melodies, perfectly blended male/female harmonies -- even without the presence of solid percussion, "Face It" is a top track of the year.

Best of 2011: Yuck - "Shook Down"

Yuck dances around all your favorite 90's indie rock melodies while avoiding outright plagiarism. Sure, it's not the most original of material but they embrace the sound so wholeheartedly you can't help but be affected. They sway between soft ballads and noisy guitar distortion, both of which they do so well. It's so hard for me to pick a favorite but I'm going to go with "Shook Down", the song with their strongest melodies and harmonies.

The official video is too strange for the song, but check it out here if you want (NSFW penis/titty/vagina shots).